u/Emergency-Way9821

I am 56F. My MIL is widowed 87 years old. FIL is deceased. He was a state police officer in a blue state with excellent benefits and pension. My MIL was a spender with lots and lots of expensive hobbies. Her only employment was hobby jobs. After his retirement FIL and MIL moved to Florida.
Due to her spending, FIL was forced to sell their Florida home and downsize them into a trailer back in their original home state where me and my husband still live. A few years later my FIL passed away at age 82.

After this, due to health decline and excessive spending, my MIL had to sell their trailer. She now lives with a relative nearby. Although she can’t drive anymore, MIL insists on keeping a very valuable car sitting unused in the driveway. She is oblivious to the fact that one of her grandchildren could use this car.

MIL also insists on paying for a rather larger storage unit stacked full of her lifelong hobby items- art books, paint brushes, astrology books, crystals, sewing supplies. There are hundreds and hundreds of items she can’t use nor will she ever use again, yet she is absolutely not willing to part with any of this. She will not donate or sell.

MIL was one of two children of an older wealthy parents and she never wanted for anything. She never bonded with my now grown children as she never spent time with them. All her time was spent on her hobbies, which included traveling long distances to expensive art classes.

MILs idea of a gift for my children was socks picked up at the checkout at the local bookstore or hobby store along with a homemade card.

At this point I had to stop working due to burnout. As I have the time, I take my MIL to her doctor appointments.

After spending time with my MIL I am
totally dysregulated and exhausted. My MIL has always been spoiled, immature and has magical thinking.

She identifies as a clairvoyant and states that she won’t die. I am very much a realist and my own mother passed away at age 63, so I bite my tongue when she says such nonsense.

This is just a vent really. Please forgive me if I sound harsh, but the woman frustrates me very much. My husband is disappointed in her too as he feels abandoned when they moved to Florida immediately after our son was born 30 years ago.

While my mother is deceased. She dedicated her life to her grandchildren so I just don’t understand the mind of a selfish grandmother.